Psychology Chapter Five

Consciousness

Consciousness

The awareness of internal and external stimuli. Personal awareness.

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

A device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp.

Biological Rhythms

Periodic fluctuations in physiological functioning.

Circadian Rhythms

Are the 24-hours biological cycles found in humans and many other species.

Electromyograph (EMG)

Records muscular activity and tension

Electrooculograph (EOG)

Records eye movements

Electrocardiograph (EKG)

Records contractions of the heart

REM Sleep

A deep stage of sleep marked by rapid eye movements, high-frequency brain waves, and dreaming

Non-REM Sleep

Sleep stages 1-3, which are marked by an absence of rapid eye movements, relatively little dreaming, and varied EEG activity.

Insomnia

Chronic problems in getting adequate sleep that result in daytime fatigue and impaired functioning.

Narcolepsy

Disease marked by sudden and irresistible onsets of sleep during normal waking periods.

Sleep Apnea

Involves frequent, reflexive gasping for air that awakens a person and disrupts sleep.

Somnambulism

Also known as sleepwalking, occurs when a person arises and wanders about while remaining asleep.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)

Troublesome dream enactments during REM periods. May talk, yell, gesture, flail about, or leap out of bed during their REM dreams. Coincide with violent dreams.

Hypnosis

A systematic procedure that typically produces a heightened state of suggestibility.

Dissociation

Splitting off of mental processes into two separate, simultaneous streams of awareness.

Meditation

A family of practices that train attention to heighten awareness and bring mental processes under greater voluntary control.

Psychoactive Drugs

Chemical substances that modify mental, emotional, or behavioral functioning.

Narcotics/Opiates

Drugs derived from opium that are capable of relieving pain.

Sedatives

Sleep inducing drugs that tend to decrease central nervous system activation and behavioral activity.

Stimulants

Drugs that tend to increase central nervous system activation and behavioral activity.

Hallucinogens

A diverse group of drugs that have powerful effects on mental and emotional functioning, marked most notably by distortions in sensory and perceptual experience.

Cannabis

The hemp plant from which marijuana, hashish, and THC are derived.

Alcohol

Encompasses a variety of beverages containing ethyl alcohol.

Tolerance

A progressive decrease in a person’s responsiveness to a drug as a result of continued use.

Physical Dependence

Exists when a person must continue to take a drug to avoid withdrawal illness.

Psychological Dependence

Exists when a person must continue to take a drug to satisfy intense mental and emotional craving.

Manifest Content

Consists of the plot of a dream at the surface level.

Latent Content

The hidden or disguised meaning of events of a dream.